


Fin

by apostate (394percentdone)



Series: Tales of a Tabris [1]
Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-29
Updated: 2018-08-29
Packaged: 2019-07-04 06:52:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15836040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/394percentdone/pseuds/apostate
Summary: "What if Zevran knew the Warden was going to do the ultimate sacrifice because he's seen that look in his own eyes."





	Fin

Denerim is burning. Flames from the horde of darkspawn lick at every surface. The Maker has abandoned this city, left it to its destruction. But Ellanis. Ellanis fights. He turns the tide of the darkspawn swarm back into itself, leaves a trail of corpses in his wake. Ellanis will abandon nothing so long as he is needed. The archdemon ahead of them roars in a challenge, the sound of it raking its way into Zevran’s ears and striking at his heart. Hope is a fool’s errand here. Here in this remnant of a city, where the Blight itself has taken root. Zevran glances towards Ellanis, some quip dying on his tongue as their eyes meet. 

Calm radiates from Ellanis. Head held high as he slowly walks between darkspawn corpses. Trails of magic in the dirt, imprints, and shadows. Where normally life fills his eyes there is now only determination. Rage for those who he can no longer help burns at the edge of his staff. And regret makes its mark too. But this is battle and Zevran thinks nothing of it, he focuses instead on the sink of his blade in rotten darkspawn flesh. Death is all around them here in this final stand, from the bodies littering the streets to the memory of those they fight for. 

It’s not until they reach the castle when Ellanis sends Alistair away with a nod and sad smile that cold fear reaches in to claw at Zevran’s chest. The air around them is smoke and dust, clogging and desolate. Zevran follows after Ellanis, as he always will. Morrigan shakes her head, withdraws with Alistair at a word from Ellanis. In his memory, the picture of Ellanis emerging from Morrigan's quarters last night flairs. Ellanis' eyes then had been as dark as they are now. A tremor in his hand as he held Zevran, whispered to him the things they would do when this was over. A promise to see the sunset over the sea. 

The archdemon roars before he does more than grab Ellanis’ arm, his amor glancing at him with a warm sadness before the dragon attacks. It’s a ruthless fight even with four of them. Worn out, weary from all of the battle before. Nothing but a handful of potions and the all-consuming desire to live on. Strong heartbeats, strong wills pushing them forward. The archdemon fights hard, almost laughs in the face of all their efforts. But with time even the greatest of demons fall. 

It’s dying. Wings bloody and torn, scales in pieces littering the castle top. Victory. Zevran turns, triumphant, to Ellanis. Looks to him with eyes full of hope. An impossibility, what they've done. What  _ Ellanis  _ has done. Elated with their success Zevran watches as Ellanis shakes his head. His eyes, his  _ tears _ . They’re not victorious. Zevran knows that look, he wore it himself when they first met, when he fought planning to lose. 

Ellanis is going to sacrifice himself. 

For what? The battle is over, they've won. Haven't they taken enough? Ellanis raises his staff, the tip of beginning to glow as he gives Zevran the same warm and broken smile. No. No no _ no _ . Last night Ellanis said he wanted to see Antiva with him, had kissed Zevran with somber eyes and Zevran should have understood. He should have known. 

“I love you.” Zevran can’t hear him physically, Ellanis is still too far away even as Zevran begins to sprint toward him desperately. Heart in his throat choking him, Ellanis is  _ right there _ . If he can just reach him. Zevran knows he's too far, can see it in the white-knuckled grip Ellanis has on his staff, the way his chest rises too quickly as he opens his mouth again. So far, and yet he hears Ellanis’ voice in his head as he reads his lips, soft and warm and so full of life. “I’m sorry.” 

Ellanis breaks, dashes towards the archdemon, his staff ablaze with blue crackling light. Zevran can only watch. Stops in his tracks the same way his heart stops in his chest. Aching, lost. When they connect the sky breaks -a thick column of light blazes towards the heavens and rends the air. Zevran is blasted backward by the force of the blast, the tears on his face drying from the heat to leave only trails of salt. 

“Ellanis-” He was at the center of that blast, whatever it had been. Hastily Zevran gets to his feet and runs, tripping over his feet before he reaches Ellanis. Heart in his throat once more, pounding a rhythm under his skin in time with the debilitating terror running through his veins. Where.  _ Where  _ is he in this mess. This dust and debris lingering in the air, obscuring a truth Zevran already knows.  

“Ellanis!” There, thrown at an odd angle just a handful of feet from the archdemon. Pale, ashen skin and closed eyes. Cold seeps under Zevran's skin. The sun breaks through the clouds overhead but Zevran cannot feel its warmth. He drops to his knees before Ellanis, taking him up in his arms and bowing his head over Ellanis’. “Ellanis.” A broken voice for a broken body, the name of his amor torn from his very soul. A tear Zevran doesn’t remember crying falls onto Ellanis’ cheek. It catches the sunlight, shines with a life neither of them has. 

Why. Ellanis is cold under his hands. Arms limp as they fall to the ground beneath them. Face still, eyes closed. Zevran was not even allowed to say goodbye. Why. “I love you. I’m sorry.” His words in Zevran’s head fresh as a wound. Ellanis' smile in his eyes, the way it would light up just for him. Soft words spoken in the dead of night, a promise as broken as Ellanis' body in his arms. Why.

“Ti amo _caro. Ti_ amo.” In his chest, Zevran’s heart shatters, and he knows the pieces will be too small to ever recover. “Non smetterò di amarti amor.”   
  


**Author's Note:**

> Non smetterò di amarti amor: i'll never stop loving you. 
> 
> ouch that uh, kinda hurt.


End file.
